


Can't hide forever

by MagicalFoxes



Series: Now until forever [5]
Category: Yuri!!! on ICE
Genre: Confessions, M/M, Victor is little to no help, otabek is smooth af, otayuri - Freeform, yuri is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-11-20 03:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11328159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalFoxes/pseuds/MagicalFoxes
Summary: Yuri blushes, “B-beautiful?” He's been called pretty and cute by his fans, adorable a couple of times by Mila, and his skating has been called beautiful hundreds of times. But the way Otabek says the word, soft and affectionate and genuine, it makes Yuri’s entire body tingle.Otabek smiles. A real smile, not one of the barely there ones he usually gives. “I think you're the only one that doesn't already know how I feel…”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna warn you right now...it's 3am as I am editing this, and I'm exhausted so there's a good chance my editing is only making it worse. I can't tell how bad/good things are when I'm tired because my brain is all fuzzy. So I'll apologize in advance for any crappy parts and/or errors.
> 
> Also I used Google Translate so I apologize if the translation is wrong. Though I'm at least 80% sure it isn't.

“You said you wanted to talk,” Yuri says. He's sat on the bed of his hotel room, back against the padded headboard and crossed arms resting atop his bent knees. He's watching Otabek with that half-unimpressed-half-annoyed look he always wears.

Otabek would be lying if he said he didn't find the younger boy adorable. “Is something bothering you?” He asks, leaned back in the desk chair.

Yuri's been acting distant as of late. His Instagram feed is outdated, and Otabek hasn't received a reply to any of his sent texts.

Yuri scoffs, “I'm fine,” he replies sharply. “Nothing's bothering me. And even if there was something, why would I tell you? I'm not about to sit here and talk about my feelings…”

Otabek eyes him carefully, “So there is something.”

“Were you even listening?!”

“You’re distracted, it isn’t like you,” Otabek tells him. For a moment he thinks he’s imagined the dust of pink across the younger’s cheeks, but no, it’s definitely there. “And you’ve been avoiding everyone…”

“I don’t have to explain myself,” Yuri grumbles, looking away.

Otabek kicks off his boots and makes himself more comfortable in his chair. “Well, in any case,” he says. “I don’t feel like going back to my room yet. Mind if I hang out here?”

Yuri turns bright red, getting up abruptly from the bed and grabbing his shower bag. “Whatever. Do what you want.” He walks into the bathroom and slams the door without ever looking at the other boy.

Otabek stares at the door until the shower turns on, eyes narrowing suspiciously. As he suspected, he’s the one Yuri’s trying to avoid, the only thing he can’t figure out is why. Thinking back to the last time they spoke before the season started, everything was fine. They skyped for the usual two hours, talking about their plans for the season and what their coaches were trying to push on them. But when they had met each other in the hotel their first competition together, Yuri had merely said hello and gone up to his room. No one had been able to get much out of him, but it was easy to blame his attitude on Jet Lag and nerves, so it wasn’t too concerning. But it didn’t improve, and even Yakov seemed worried now.

_“You’re his friend, has he said anything to you?”_

_“No. He hasn’t spoken to me at all.”_

Yakov had seemed annoyed by the response to his question, and Otabek wanted to help so he volunteered to talk to Yuri. However, clearly this is going to be a harder task than originally assumed.

The shower is still running when the bathroom door opens again and Yuri walks out in one of the complimentary robes, hair dripping wet. He jumps when he sees Otabek in the same place he left him, and blushes again. Otabek starts a mental tally.

"You’re still here?” Yuri asks, walking over to his bag and digging through it again. This time his digging is more frustrated. “Damn! I knew it…”

"What’s wrong?” Otabek questions, ignoring what he assumes was a rhetorical question.

"I must has forgotten to repack my toothbrush,” Yuri replies irritably.

Otabek starts to slip his boots back on, taking the opportunity to leave the room on his own terms. Because he is not about to let Yuri push him away again. “I’ll go get one from the desk downstairs,” he offers.

Yuri blinks, “O-oh, ok, thanks…”

Otabek studies the pale face and finds the faintest hint of pink again. Hmm, that’s four times now. The pieces are starting to come together, and while part of him is sure he’s wrong, there’s a part of him deep down that really hopes he’s right. He leaves the room without another word, and makes note of Yuri’s irritated mumbling in Russian just before the door closes behind him. Otabek’s second language is Russian, as is the norm in Kazakhstan, but the younger is too quiet for him to properly translate the words before the door is fully closed, so he doesn't think much of it. The elevator is at the opposite end of the hallway, and as he reaches it the floor number above it blinks and there’s a soft ding. When the sleek black doors part, Otabek can’t help the snort that escapes him.

“Oh hey, Otabek!” Victor greets, panting lightly, lips swollen and face flushed.

Yuuri untangles his fingers from silver hair and jumps back. “O-Otabek!”

“Any luck with Yurio?” Victor asks casually, as if he hadn’t just been caught making out with his fiance. He runs a hand through his hair and somehow that’s all it takes to make it lay perfectly again.

Otabek is half tempted to roll his eyes but decides against it. “He still won’t talk,” he replies.

“Well, Yurio’s stubborn,” Yuuri tells him. “But I think, if he’s going to open up to anyone, it’ll be you.”

Victor nods in agreement. “Exactly. Just keep beating him down and eventually he’ll break!”

“I really don’t think that’s the right approach…”

Otabek smiles at them, albeit faint, and nods once. “Thanks. I think…” He watches them walk away as he steps onto the elevator, and actually does roll his eyes when Victor wraps an arm around Yuuri’s shoulder and starts whispering to him in Russian. Otabek reaches for the “Door Close” button, to avoid seeing anything that may haunt him later, when a specific group of words off of Victor’s lips reaches his ears. He recognizes them instantly as part of what Yuri had been mumbling earlier. "Wait!” he calls quickly, stepping back into the hallway.

The couple stop and turn back to him.

“Say that again” Otabek asks. “Exactly what you just said.”

“ _Ya lyublyu tebya_?” Victor questions, and Otabek nods in confirmation. “Why?”

Otabek stares. “I...I think I heard…”

“Otabek, you look really pale,” Yuuri tells him. “Are you ok?”

He shakes his head, not trusting himself enough to speak. Ya lyublyu tebya. “I love you.”

A grin slowly begins to spread across Victor’s lips. “Did you hear Yurio say it?!” He’s bouncing on his toes like a little kid, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Otabek dares to reply, “I-I…” his voice breaks and he stops.

“Oh, wow,” Yuuri breathes. “Yurio is...wow.”

Victor grabs Otabek’s shoulders and shakes him harshly, grin still in place. “You have to go talk to him!” he insists.

“But, I-,”

“GO!” They both shout. Victor steers him in the right direction and Yuuri kicks him in the back to get him moving.

Otabek turns back to look at the two, and they’re both giving him thumbs up and beaming encouragingly. He takes a deep breath as he starts down the hall back to Yuri’s room. His heart his racing, his mind is fuzzy, and his hands are shaking, but he keeps moving. So, his suspicions were correct after all, Yuri likes him. No, wait, not _like_. Yuri _loves_ him. It’s almost too much for him to process. Yuri Plisetsky, the Ice Tiger of Russia, the Russian punk, is in love with him; it’s unbelievable. But that small part of him that was so hopeful earlier is starting to laugh and bounce around like Victor did, and Otabek feels a rush a warmth through his body.

Yuri loves him.

When he reaches the door he knocks once, wishing he’d grabbed the Keycard that was sitting on the dresser next to the TV. The sound of sniffling reaches him first, and something falls over with a dull thud. Yuri curses inside, and a few moments later the door is opening. Otabek doesn’t miss the red and puffiness of the younger’s eyes, or the tear tracks pinstriping his blotchy cheeks.

“Oh, that was quick.” his voice is rough, and he clears his throat lightly as he steps aside for Otabek to walk in. “Where is it? I want to go to bed and-,"

“ _Ya lyublyu tebya._ ”

Yuri turns stark white and stumbles back a few steps as the door clicks shuts behind the older. “W-what?” the word comes out in little more than a whisper.

“You said it earlier,” Otabek says. “When I was walking out, you said it under your breath when you thought I couldn’t hear you.”

Yuri doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, and it’s actually hard to tell if he’s even still breathing.

Nothing happens for what feels like an eternity, and Otabek wonders if he should say something else or maybe just leave. But right as he’s about to make up his mind, tears well in Yuri’s eyes and start rolling down his face. He drops his head to hide behind a curtain of blond hair, and clenches his fists at his sides as his shoulders start to shake.

Otabek starts to step forward, but stops when he hears a broken voice speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Taken aback, Otabek almost doesn’t respond. But he does, and his voice is soft and concerned. “Why are you sorry?”

“You hate me now, right?” Yuri asks, not looking up. “You’re going to…” his voice trails off and he tries to repress the sob that follows.

Otabek is positive that he’s never seen the teen so vulnerable, so broken. He looks as if his entire world has just crashed in around him, and Otabek’s heart aches at the sight. Before he realises what he’s doing, he’s moving forward and setting a hand on the boy’s head.

Yuri looks up slowly, the surprise plain on his tear soaked face.

“What do you think I’m going to do?” Otabek asks.

Yuri doesn’t look away as he replies. “You’re going to leave.”

The words strike a chord, and Otabek pulls him forward into a hug abruptly. Everyone in Yuri’s life has abandoned him, everyone who ever meant anything to him ended up breaking his heart. Without his grandfather he’d be completely alone. The anger, the punk-attitude, the dark cloud that always seems to surround him, it’s all a facade, a wall to keep everyone at a safe distance. But the real Yuri, the one Otabek has come to know and call his best friend, is just a scared kid that clings to any kind of attention and affection he can get. He’s confident in himself, he knows who he is and exactly how much talent he has, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t insecure. And it shows now, it shows in that he truly believes Otabek is going to walk away like so many others have before. Yuri knows he’s better than everyone, but he doesn’t think he good enough _for_ them.

“I’m not leaving,” Otabek says, firmly. “Don’t be an idiot.”

Yuri looks up at him.

“And I don’t hate you, either, so don’t start thinking I do.”

“But I-,”

“You what?” Otabek interrupts. “You have emotions like all other humans?”

Yuri clutches the older’s jacket tightly. “But you don’t.”

“What makes you think I don't?”

Yuri doesn't respond, but his eyes are wide and glued to the older boy’s.

Gently, slowly, Otabek reaches up and brushes away a strand of damp hair. “Yuri…” _I'm actually about to say this_ ,“I haven't stopped thinking about you since I was twelve-years-old.”

“W-what?”

“Like I said before, I was drawn to you. That beautiful dancer with the eyes of a soldier…”

Yuri blushes, “B-beautiful?” He's been called pretty and cute by his fans, adorable a couple of times by Mila, and his skating has been called beautiful hundreds of times. But the way Otabek says the word, soft and affectionate and _genuine_ , it makes Yuri’s entire body tingle.

Otabek smiles. A real smile, not one of the barely there ones he usually gives. “I think you're the only one that doesn't already know how I feel…”

“Say it,” Yuri says nervously. “Tell me…”

Thumb stroking the younger boy’s cheek, Otabek leans in close and lowers his voice. “I love you.” His head spins a little as the words leave his lips. This moment is so surreal.

Yuri looks like he might tear up again until his expression suddenly shifts to annoyance. “Why the fuck didn't you say anything earlier?!” He demands. “Do you know how stressed out I've been?! You're such an ass! I haven't slept in a week thinking about-!”

Otabek rolls his eyes, pressing their lips together quickly to end the rant. He knows Yuri’s self preservation instincts are kicking in, and he's only acting pissed off to keep all of these foreign emotions at bay. He afraid. Otabek doesn't blame him. They each have the ability to completely shatter the other now that everything's out in the open, and Yuri's been shattered too many times already. 

Yuri smiles as they part. “I could get used to that.”

“I'm sorry I never said anything,” Otabek tells him, blushing. “I should have told you…”

“Well I could've said something, I guess,” Yuri says, suddenly all confidence. “But six years is a long time to harbor feelings for someone...did it take you that long to come up with that ‘eyes of a solider’ line?”

Otabek cocks an eyebrow, “You really think I didn't come up with that on the spot?”

Yuri laughs. It's rough from crying, but after a week of being avoided Otabek thinks he could listen to it forever.

“Can I kiss you again?”

“I'll kick your ass if you don't.”


	2. Discovered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided this worked better as a second chapter rather than a whole piece of it's own, so here it is!

Victor and Yuuri obviously find out first, but only because the second they laid eyes on the couple they bombarded them with questions. Yuri told them he and Otabek were going to try the dating thing, if not for the sole purpose of getting them to shut up and go away. 

JJ find out next, much to Yuri’s dismay.

“You told _him_?” Yuri demands.

They had been changing from their skates to street shoes after practice, when JJ walked by and made a kissy face a Yuri, throwing him a suggestive wink as he left. Yuri knew instantly what it meant. To say he is not happy would be a major understatement.

“He's my friend-,”

“Ok, _gross_ , don't remind me.”

Otabek rolls his eyes. “He asked if I'd talked you out of your slump,” he explains, pulling his duffle up onto his shoulder.

“All you had to say was yes,” Yuri says irritably.

“I'm sorry,” Otabek says, before his eyebrows scrunch. “Wait, no I'm not. I'm allowed to tell my friends we’re dating.”

Yuri cocks an eyebrow. “Who decided that?”

“I did?”

Yuri doesn't say anything, starring the older down. An impressive feat considering there's at least a three inch difference between them. 

Otabek sighs. “I won't say anything to anyone else.”

Yuri smiles. “Was that so hard?”

“Is this how our relationship is gonna be?” Otabek asks as they start walking toward the exit. “You make decisions and I go along whether I want to or not?”

“We were like that anyway.”

The next to find out is, unfortunately, Minami. Yuri wants to crawl into a hole and die when the Japanese skater rounds the corner in the locker room and catches them making out against the sinks.

And that's when everyone else finds out, because Minami, the fucking fangirl that he is, goes running out to the rink bright red and babbling nonsense. Otabek and Yuri chase after him, almost catching him before he reaches the other skaters. 

“Minami?” Yuuri asks at the sight of the boy. “Are you ok?”

Minami flails widely, looking at Yuri and Otabek and then back, mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish. “Th-they’re-! Y-Yuri and O-Otabek-! And they were-! L-locker room-!”

“Looks like Minami found out your little secret,” JJ laughs.

“Secret?” Victor asks. “You means you haven't told everyone else that you're dating?”

Yuri facepalms.

“ _Victor_!” Yuuri hisses. “You weren't supposed to say anything!”

“Oh...right…”

“You're dating a competitor?” Sung-Gil asks plainly. “How unprofessional.”

“I think it's cute!” Phichit beams. “You guys are perfect for each other.”

“Yeah it is pretty cute,” JJ agrees. “Otabek found himself a princess!”

Otabek has to hold Yuri back to keep him from ripping the Canadian’s head of.

“Aw, did I upset the fairy?”

“Stop antagonizing him,” Otabek says.

“Oh, c’mon, Otabek,” JJ says. “You’ve been pining for this runt for six years.”

Otabek turns bright red. “I was not pining.”

JJ snorts, “We were rinkmates once, remember? You were obsessed with him!” He laughs purely at the other’s expense.

Eyes narrow, Otabek releases his grip on his boyfriend. Yuri kicks JJ hard, sending him into the wall.

**Author's Note:**

> I told you I could write longer pieces!!!  
> Lol. Hope you liked it.


End file.
